Networked: The New Social Operating System
About Networked ''is a book written by researcher Lee Rainie and sociologist Barry Wellman published in 2014. : "Pope Benedict XVI lauded the power and value of ICTs...": : "The new technologies allow people to meet each other beyond the confines of space and of their own culture, creating in this way an entirely new world of potential friendships. This is a great opportunity, but it also requires greater attention to and awareness of possible risks. Who is my "neighbor" in this new world? Does the danger exist that we may be less present to those whom we encounter in our everyday life? Is there a risk of being more distracted because our attention is fragmented and absorbed in a world "other" than the one in which we live? Do we have time to reflect critically on our choices and to foster human relationships which are truly deep and lasting? It is important always to remember that virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact with people at every level of our lives." pg 127 :: :: Networked Individualism 'Networked Individualism 'is one of the first concepts discussed in Lee Rainie and Barry Wellman's novel ''Networked: The Social Operating System. The authors define networked individualism with the following statement: "People have changed the ways they interact with each other. They have become increasingly networked as individuals, rather than embedded in groups. In a world of networked individuals, it is the person who is the focus: not the family, not the work unit, not the neighborhood, and not the social group." pg 6 Rainie and Wellman argue that networked individualism transpired through the Triple Revolution, which is comprised of the Social Network Revolution, the Internet Revolution, and the Mobile Revolution. pg 11-12"The networked operating system gives people new ways to solve problems and meet societal needs." pg 9 "The rapid growth of affordable telecommunications and computing has made communication and gaining information more powerful and more personal." pg 23 Networked individuals involvement in multiple networks leads to less involvement and commitment to any one network. loc 3198 Person to person interactions allow people to tailor their interactions more. Networked individualism allows people to define themselves in different ways to different groups. loc 3234 Networked individuals have sparsely knit personal communities meaning most network members are not directly connected with one another. loc 3429 Networked individualism consists of four distinct cultures which shape the Internet and social networks: technoelites, hackers, virtual communitarians, and entrepreneurs. loc 2037-2060 These four cultures combined form the fifth estate. loc 2096 The Triple Revolution -The Social Network Revolution-Provide opportunities for people to reach beyond the world of tight groups. -The Internet Revolution-Given people communication power and information, gathering capacities of the past. -The Mobile Revolution- Allowing access to friends and information at own will. The Social Network Revolution "The Social Network Revolution has provided the opportunities-and stresses-for people to reach beyond the world of tight groups. It has afforded my diversity in relationships and social worlds-as well as bridges to reach these worlds and maneuverability to move among them." pg 11 "It has introduced the stress of not having a single home base and of reconciling the conflicting demands of multiple social worlds." pg 11 When talking about the Social Network Revolution, it is important to note how we have moved beyond traditional groups and barriers to more extensive social groups outside the household. Thus, enabling us to obtain more information from virtually anyone. "digital development highlights the new networked nature of family better than short message texting on mobile phones" The Internet Revolution "The Internet Revolution has given people communications power and information-gathering capacities that dwarf those of the past.It has also allowed people to become their own publishers and broadcasters and created new methods for social networking." pg 11-12 These new powers of information gathering and communication allowed for the creation and understanding of "network individualism." This was the revolution that allowed the level of independence most individuals in our society are able to experience. Rainie and Wellman understand that, "The societal trend toward the networked operating system was already underway before the internet became popular, but there is no doubt that that arrival of the internet pushed this trend to new heights and in new directions." pg 80 Thus, with new and innovative social media platforms the traditional community in which we once lived, has become only one aspect of the larger network we identify with. The Mobile Revolution "The Mobile Revolution has allowed ICT's to become body appendages allowing people to access friends and information at will, wherever they go... People physical separation by time and space are less important." pg 12 "Pew Internet surveys show how texting became a mainstream activity for all types of Americans between spring of 2006 and the spring of 2011, nearly doubling from 31 percent of the population age eighteen and over to 59 percent. As is the case for mobile ownership itself, older, poorer, and rural people text the least." pg 89 "At the same time, others are organizing their communications based on the context for their contact." pg 97 "Before the mobilization of the world, time and space were critical factors in person contact." pg 99 "This mobilization strengthens the three pillars online engagement: connecting with others, satisfying information queries, and sharing content with others."pg 108 Being Watched: Surveillance on the Internet While people are enjoying the social networking revolution, the government and other organizations are watching us. Hackers and criminals are now able to steal our identity and financial information with a click of a button. People due to mobile capabilities can gather information on almost anyone they want to. They can read our text messages and Emails, find our pictures, and even found out our exact location. Our lives and actions are no longer private. Co-surveillance: Stalking on the Internet Have you ever caught yourself Facebook or Twitter creeping on someone? When you were creeping, did you ever end up on some random person's profile that was a friend of a friends? "If so you are not alone. According to Pew internet, in 2009 sixty-nine percent of internet users reported searching someone online" pg 238. Browsing through online profiles we are able to search for the information we seek rather than directly ask for it. Many online profiles display relationship status or preference, current and past locations, sports, reading, and viewing interests, and current and past careers. Users can also choose to share their telephone number and email address. Employers have begun to utilize social media by viewing potential employees' profiles prior to an interview or employment. This can also be an opportunity for users to display their skills and emphasize their personalities in order to make a good impression via the internet prior to meeting employers. Universities also utilize this method to ensure that those they accept will properly and respectably represent their universities' name. Terms & Concepts ICT:'' 'information connection technologies ''P'ersonal: the individual is at the autonomous center just as she is reaching out from her computer pg 7 M'''ultiuser:' people are interacting with numerous divers others pg 7 ''M'ultitasking:'' people are doing several things pg 7 ''Multithreaded: they are doing them more or less simultaneously pg 7 '''''Innovators: the smallest percentage, they strive to create new products and services, and constantly prowl for new things to embrace and enhance pg 46 Early adopters: the try out new ideas after they become available to the general public and are often motivated by being at the cutting edge of the culture pg 46 Early majority: these adopters learn about a new product or service and are happy to adopt it once they see it has some value pg 46 Late majority: they are skeptical about buying into something new until many of those around them have already become adopters and the innovation has widely been embraced pg 46 Laggards: they are comfortable with the status quo and not much interested in change pg 46 Network brokerage'':' building connections across different social circles that provide more exposure to variations in opinions and behavior pg 49 '''Bridging ties: great for getting information in and out of a cluster of relationships pg 49 Bonding ties: ''stay within a cluster and are often necessary for internal trust, efficiency, and solidarity pg 49 The Culture of the Internet and Castells' Typology (4): * 1. Techno-eliters: Innovators or early adopters. "They have baked the ethic of open scientific and technological development into the internet's protocols and constantly affirmed a value system that rewards improvements in the technology." pg 77 * 2. Hackers: The programmers who contribute to upgrading the internet through work not tied to corporate or institutional assignments. They are devoted to expanding software that is able to run on all kinds of machines and internet services. "freedom to create, freedom to appropriate whatever knowledge is available, and freedom to redistribute this knowledge under any form and channel chosen by the hacker."''pg 78 * 3. '''Virtual Communitarians:' Shaped the internets' social forms, processes, and uses. "Horizontal, free communication...self-directed networking. That is, the capacity for anyone to find his or her own information, thus inducing a network." pg 78 * 4. Entrepreneurs: The ones who moved the diffusion of the internet into society at large. Their approach has infused online culture with the spirit of individualism exercised through looser networks. "'' The foundation of this entrepreneurial culture is the ability to transform technological know-how and business vision into financial value, then to cash some of this value to make the vision a reality somehow."'' pg 78 The Fifth Estate: a new class of individual actors with distinct sensibilities and interests in pursuing accountability in government, other institutions, and other people. loc 2096 The Participators: The internet users who create and share material online. Self-directed networking: a tool for organization, collective action, and the construction of meaning. pg 78 ''Networked Individualism: ''people's involvement in multiple networks often limits their involvement in and commitment to any one network. pg 124 ''Networked Self: ''A single self that gets reconfigured in different situations as people reach out, connect, and emphasize different aspects of themselves. loc 3234 Quotes "People are not hooked on gadgets-- they are hooked on each other.When they go on the internet, they are not isolating themselves....In incorporating gadgets into their lives, people have changed the ways they interact with each other. They have become increasingly networked individuals, rather than embedded in groups."pg 6 “The Internet Revolution has given people communication power and information-gathering capacities that dwarf those of the past.” pg 11 "The Social Network Revolution has provided the opportunities--and stresses--for people to reach beyond the world of tight groups."pg 11 "Neighbors are only about 10% of people's significant ties. As a result, people's social routines are different from their parents or grandparents. While people see their coworkers and neighbors often, most of their important contacts are with people elsewhere in the city, region, nation--and abroad. The Internet is especially valuable for those kinds of connections."pg 13 "The new media is the new neighborhood."pg 13 "Networked individuals have new powers to create media and project their voices to more extended audiences that become part of their social worlds."pg 13 "A key reason why these kinds of networks function effectively is that social networks are large and diversified thanks to the way people use technology."pg 13 "The internet plays a special role for networked individuals because it is a participatory medium."pg 13 "This is the era of free agents and the spirit of personal agency." pg 19 "A social network is a set of relations among network members be they people, organizations, or nations. From a network perspective, several things matter:Society is not the sum of individuals or two-person ties. Rather, everyone is embedded in structures of relationships that provide opportunities, constraints, coalitions, and work-arounds."pg 21 "A high level of globalized production and consumption has accompanied peace and more permeable borders." pg 26 "Changes in hardware both reflected and encouraged the personalization of broadcast information. Television sets went from household consoles made for worshipful watching by the entire family to multiple sets for parents and children, doubling in number from 1.4 per household in 1970 to 2.8 in 2008."pg 31 "High network density-- many interconnections-- is especially useful for rallying support and crowd-sourcing information." pg 48 "Hubs link people and places as well as websites. Hubs that bridge otherwise two separated social networks can be useful for gaining new information about jobs and housing." pg 49 "Over the next decade, the internet became one of the most rapidly adopted mass consumer technologies in history." pg 61 "The social trend toward the networked operating system was already underway before the internet became so popular, but there is no doubt that the arrival of the internet pushed this trend to new heights and new directions."pg 80 "Where a visual space is an organized continuum of uniformed connected kind, the ear world of simultaneous relationship." pg 111 "Name identification is tricky, for people are more likely to remember a boy named Sue than a girl named Sue." pg 113 “…internet users are as likely as anyone else to visit their neighbors in person. Mobile phone users, those who use the internet frequently at work, and bloggers are more likely to belong to a local volunteer association, such as a youth group or a charitable organization. Internet use does not pull people away from public places, but rather is associated with frequent visits to places such as parks, cafes, and restaurants—the kind of locales where people are likely to encounter a wider array of people and diverse points of view.” pg 119 “Networked individualism means that people’s involvement in multiple networks often limits their involvement in and commitment to any one network.” pg 124 “Networked individualism downloads the responsibility—and the burden—of maintaining personal networks on the individual. Networked individuals often have time binds, since they are constantly negotiating plans with disconnected sets of individuals within their expanding network. Active networking is more important that going along with the group. Acquiring resources depends substantially on personal skill, individual motivation, and maintaining the right connections.” pg 125 “…networked self: a single self that gets reconfigured in different situation as people reach out, connect, and emphasize different aspects of themselves.” pg 126 "The new technologies allow people to meet each other beyond the confines of space and of their own culture, creating in this way an entirely new world of potential friendships." pg 127 “Contrary to concerns that the internet would reduce other forms of contact, the evidence shows the opposite: the more internet contact, the more in-person and phone contact. These are not either/or relationships: People use the internet and mobile phones to keep in touch, to arrange get-togethers, and to follow up after they meet.“ pg 127 “Despite the distance spanning of the internet, people are still much more apt to have friends, coworkers, and schoolmates who live a short walk or drive away, they use the internet and mobile phones between in-person encounters to share information, coordinate contact, provide supports, and just socialize. In-person contact predominates in all neighborly interaction, but the amount of such contact may be declining.” pg 130-131 "Women use the internet more to reinforce their existing core ties, while men are more apt to use the internet to develop..." pg 139 “People network as individuals rather than within solitary family groups. Each household member operates as a semi-autonomous individual, with his/her own agenda, using a multitude of transportation services and communication media to contact and coordinate with each other….Although the trend to networked families began before the internet and mobile phone, the intrinsically personal nature of these technologies has encouraged the transmutation of households into networks. Where calls to wired (land line) home phones and visits to homes often were contacts with the entire household, new ICTs (information and communication technologies) foster individual person-to-person contact.” pg 147-148 "Texting can also be a buffer, keeping parents at an emotional as well as a physical distance. Since there is no synchronous interaction and since it is often more difficult for parents to construct a text message, teens use text messaging when they have to break bad new or make an uncomfortable request of their parents." pg 165 "Perhaps the biggest complaint that people have in the era of networked information is that there is just too much to monitor and digest. Still, the feeling of being overwhelmed by information did not start with the Internet and Mobile Revolutions. Historian Ann Blair has found scholars complaining as early as 1550 about a 'confusing and harmful abundance of books.' However, what is unique is that ICTs provide not only more information but also more channels that connect people to this information and feed it to them." pg 232 "Arguably, the emerging divide in this world is not the 'digital divide' but the 'network divide'. Technology continues to spread through populations, so the emerging need is for people to learn how to cultivate their networks - and to get out from the cocoon of their bounded groups." pg 255 " The coming changeds in technology will allow people to locate and join forces with others who avve sought the same material or shared simular paths of experience and exploration."pg 280 "The assertion of national sovereignty online: one critical uncertainty about the extent of covergencee between sata worlds and real worlds and real worlds will be the role that countries play." pg 288 "The internet plays a special role for networked individuals because it is a participatory medium." pg 13 "This is the era of free agents and the spirit of personal agency." pg 19 Think About It! How many social networking sites are you a part of? What content do you share on social networks? How many times a day do you check each social networking site? When you wake up, do you immediately check your phone? What do you check first? How many text messages do you send/receive a day? Do you really know every single one of your Facebook friends that well? Is everything you post to the internet something you'd be okay with a future employer seeing? How have social networks affected your work life? How do you utilize them in a workplace setting? How has social networks affected your home life? What percentage of your daily interaction with others is face to face? Would you be able go without the social networking sites that you are a part of for a day? a week? a month? two months? A year? Do you feel a sense of anxiety when you forget your phone, or aren't able to check your phone for extended periods of time? Where do you think this anxiety stems from? How do you think having a social media presence affects prospective students' chances of enrollment? Do you think about how knowing a large amount of people and social networking could help you in your future employment? Do you think that knowing a large amount of people and social networking could harm you in your future employment? Connecting Networked Back to McLuhan How would you think Rainie and Wellman would respond to McLuhan saying, "All media work us over completely"?